Ireland's 2023 Rugby World Cup bid refuses to bow out despite evaluation blow

The Irish bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup "will compete to the final whistle" despite being ranked behind bids from South Africa and France by World Rugby's board.

The promise, from the chairman of the Ireland 2023 bid oversight board Dick Spring, came shortly after Taoiseach Leo Varadkar issued a similar pledge during a visit to the United States.